Throw A Blanket Over Them

In track and field, it's known as the blanket finish.
When a whack of sprinters cross the line en masse, and a photo finish is often needed to declare a winner.
Okay, it won't be quite like that in the ice dance competition at the world championships in Tokyo. But it's hard to imagine a closer battle than the one we'll see Friday. And in ice dance, of all things.
You know, the discipline with the long history of being the most predictable of the bunch.
Not anymore, it appears. And thank heavens for that.
Reigning world champions Albena Denkova and Maxim Staviski of Bulgaria seized the lead by winning today's original dance. But it's anything but secure. With a 99.52-point total through two phases of the event, the Bulgarians hold a scant 0.02 point edge over Canadians Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon. Another 0.48 points back are Americans Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto.
Not that we didn't see this coming. It was game on when Denkova and Staviski were beaten by both France's Isabelle Delobel and Olivier Schoenfelder (fifth here at the moment with 96.02 points) and Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin of Russia (fourth, 97.63) at the European championships in Warsaw a few months back.
On this side of the pond, Dubreuil and Lauzon outpointed Belbin and Agosto at the Four Continents Championships after the Americans led after the original dance.
“All season it’s been like this,” Dubreuil told reporters today. “People keep beating each other and it’s quite exciting.”
It's also a wonderful change from the stodgy days of yore. Who knows, now, what will happen in Friday's free dance final?
“For once, dance is not predictable,” added Dubreuil. “I just hope everybody skates really, really well (Friday) so we can have a pleasant competition for everyone — the fans and ourselves.
“It will be a great fight.”
The other good news for Canadians: Worlds rookies Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir climbed to seventh after the OD, all but assuring that Canada will send three teams to the 2008 world championships in Sweden.
Canada's third couple in Tokyo, Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje, stand 22nd after the original dance.